Yankees leak may have just doomed Cubs in Tatsuya Imai free agency chase

In the next 11 days, the Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes will come to a close. Facing a Jan. 2 deadline to sign with an MLB team, the Japanese right-hander is expected to meet with interested organizations in the closing days of December before making his decision.

The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees have been the two teams most often connected with Imai, with reports seeming to contradict one another multiple times each week. A new leak suggests Imai may prefer to play for a team on the coast, rather than a Midwest club like the Cubs - something we've seen before with players making the jump from overseas.

Jed Hoyer has been very quiet so far this winter, making a handful of moves that could move the needle, but nothing remotely close to off-setting the loss of Kyle Tucker. Alex Bregman remains a possibility, especially after the Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras over the weekend, but a front-line starter needs to happen regardless of how Bregman's free agent journey plays out.

Tatsuya Imai expected to visit MLB teams in the coming days

Imai represents the biggest free agent starting pitcher available - and teams that miss out on his services could re-visit the trade market, where names like MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan, Edward Cabrera and others are possibilities to be moved.

Evaluators are mixed over how to project Imai long-term which, at least in theory, could help Hoyer's chances. We all know that if his market exploded, the Cubs probably aren't going to be the team to back up the Brinks truck. But if he's projecting as more of a #2 or #3 in the big leagues, Chicago may be willing to bet on their pitching infrastructure to help him take his game to the next level.

Obviously, if there is a geographic preference, money talks - and that's how to overcome it. The financial flexibility is there, especially post-2026 when the Cubs have virtually no money on the books. Imai has been in Chicago's crosshairs all offseason and, soon, we'll have our answer on where he calls home.